Stoke City newcomer Jordan Cousins admits he was shocked by last season's poor finish at the bet365.

Cousins, a free signing this summer after running out of contract at QPR, is under no illusion about the task ahead as Stoke seek to improve drastically on last season’s 16th place at the end of the club’s first campaign back in the Championship.

“I was really shocked with where they finished last season," admits Cousins.

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"When I looked at the names in the squad and even when we played against them, I thought surely these guys have got to be higher up the table.

“For whatever reason, that didn’t happen, but we’re forgetting about that. It’s last season. Now we’ve got to focus on this year."

Cousins, who worked under boss Nathan Jones when he was youth coach at Charlton, added: “We’ve brought in six players, including myself, so it’s getting the team together, adding to what was here and going for it.”

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